Connected Parenting Team »

All Connected Parenting therapists and coaches have been trained in the Connected Parenting method. We have all experienced the transformations that using empathy and mirroring can elicit.

Jennifer Kolari, M.S.W., R.S.W. Child and Family Therapist and Founder of Connected Parenting

Child and Family Therapist Jennifer Kolari is one of the nation’s leading parenting experts and the founder of Connected Parenting. Author of Connected Parenting: How To Raise A Great kid (Penguin Group USA and Penguin Canada, 2009) and You’re Ruining My Life! (But Not Really) Surviving the Teenage Years with Connected Parenting (Penguin Canada, 2011), Kolari is the parenting expert on CBC’s Steven and Chris show, and has appeared frequently on Canada AM and Breakfast Television. Her advice can be found in many Canadian and U.S. magazines, such as Today’s Parent, Redbook, Parent Magazine, and Canadian Family. She is also on the health advisory board for Chatelaine Magazine. Her entertaining workshops and insightful strategies, shared with warmth and humour, make her a highly sought-after speaker with schools, corportations and agencies in the U.S. and Canada. Kolari has been helping children, teens and families get connected for over twenty years.

She lives in Toronto with her husband and their three children.

Rebecca Lindsay, Hon. B.A., Teacher, Parent Coach

Rebecca is an elementary school teacher and division director at an independent school in La Jolla, California and has over 20 years of experience in education. She coaches teachers using the Connected Teaching model and uses Connected Parenting in her own classroom. She provides coaching to families in the San Diego area and is the intake and media coordinator for Connected Parenting.

Janis Beach M.S.W., R.S.W., Parent and Child Therapist

Janis has been working with children and their families for over 25 years. She believes strongly in building the strength and resiliency of children and adults; this belief is the central core of her work.

Janis brings a diverse range of experience and expertise to Connected Parenting. Prior to entering private practice in 2000, she was the coordinator of social work at the Toronto District School Board for seven years, and a school based social worker for 15 years, where she worked with students, their families and school personnel. Janis is also a family mediator.

Known for her clear and engaging style, Janis is in demand for workshop presentations on a wide range of issues and as a facilitator in both the public and private sectors.

Cindy Smolkin M.S.W., R.S.W., Parent and Child Therapist

Cindy has been working with children and families for 18 years. She has been trained in the Connected Parenting model and uses its tenets in both her private practice and her own family life. In addition to her private practice, Cindy has worked as a family therapist at Jewish Family and Child Services in Toronto and at Integra, a mental health centre for children and adolescents with learning disabilities. Cindy was a social worker at the Toronto District School Board for many years where she counseled children and families, facilitated groups, ran workshops and provided training for teachers and school administrators. Cindy is also a field supervisor for the University of Toronto Faculty of Social Work. She has worked intensively with children with special needs and has assisted parents in advocating for their children.

Cindy lives in Toronto with her husband and their two children.

Lisa Seward, A.O.S., Hon BA

Lisa has an Associates Degree in the Arts (American Academy in New York City), an Honours Degree in Psychology form York University. Her experience in pioneering Drama Therapy programmes since 1986 for children with various emotional, social and behavioural needs was the springboard for founding her own ‘Saturdays only’ theatre school in 1987. The Yonge Street Players provides a creative outlet for hundreds of young children and teens in Toronto and was recipient of the YTV Comedy Award. Lisa has been in private practice since 1997 and specializes in children experiencing difficulties from Autism, Aspergers, Selective Mutism, LD & Behaviour therapy. In addition, Lisa facilitates corporate sessions in Improvisation & Creativity through TEAMWORK, a division of the theatre school since 1999.

Barbara Miller

Barbara graduated from The Institute of Child Study as well as the Masters of Social Work Program at the University of Toronto. She has worked with children and families in a variety of clinical settings over the past 20 years. Beginning her career working with children who have learning disabilities and difficulties with peer relationships, she then trained in family therapy and has worked extensively with children and adolescents and their families.

In addition to her private practice, Barbara has worked as a therapist at Integra, North York General Hospital and The George Hull Centre. She currently works at The Toronto District School Board providing consultation and counseling services to students, teachers and parents, and leads groups for children and adolescents.

She is also enjoying the many challenges of blending theory with practice in the parenting of twins.

Carolyn Agnew-Hall

Carolyn has been a Social Worker and Family Therapist in the Niagara Region for 12 years and she is now thrilled to be bringing the Connected Parenting Model to Niagara. She has been utilizing this approach for a number of years with many clients and with her own children and has much confidence in how well it works with families. Carolyn has been working at the Family Counselling Centre of Niagara for 10 years and will now be offering Connected Parenting services through her private practice.

She has an extensive background and training in the therapeutic use of Mindfulness and in Narrative Therapy and believes that these theoretical approaches work well within the context of the Connected Parenting Model. She has experience working with children, youth and adults in a variety of different social service agencies and has a special interest in parenting issues and working with children.

Carolyn lives in St. Catharines with her husband and their two young children.

"Connected Parenting advises us not just how to parent, but—far more important—who to be as parents. The therapeutic methods suggested by Jennifer Kolari are based not on simple-minded behavioural solutions, but on building warm, nurturing relationships with our children, with insight and compassion not only for their little flaws, but also for our own larger ones."
—Gabor Maté, M.D.

"A must read for parents, educators, and any other adults who want to connect in a deeply caring and positive way with the children in their lives."
—Barbara Coloroso